Sri Lanka cricketers suffer pay cuts

AGENCIESMay 31, 2003, 01.26pm IST

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's cricketers, under fire for a string of below par performances, are facing a 30 percent pay cut as the authorities attempt to raise the dipping standards by introducing Saturday performance incentives.

The Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) said Saturday it was slashing the fixed contract fees as part of the shake-up.

Sri Lanka did not impress despite making the semifinals of this year's World Cup and later failed to make the finals of a four-nation tournament in Sharjah and a tri-series at home.

The board reduced the number of contracted players to 12 from the previous year's 15 and decided to cut 30 percent from the match fee of $1,750 for each Test match and $1,250 for every one-day international.

However, the fees will be increased by 50 per cent for a win against one of the top four ranked sides and 25 per cent for a win against teams placed fifth to eighth in the International Cricket Council (ICC) world rankings.